Shades of Gray
by Harmony of Dissonance
Summary: Being the daughter of a witch and vampire can be one of the hardest things to live with, especially if an old enemy of Mom and Dad is back and youre his target
1. My Day, As Usual

Disclaimer- Realize that any names, places, so on so forth, that are in this fic that are from Shattered Mirror belong to Ms. Atwater-Rhodes, NOT ME. I am not receiving any money, food, or cars for her characters. Thank you.

Yay! A new ficcy! :D I had major writer's block, but I'm baaaack. Well, I had the idea for this one for a long time, and it was forced out of my brain after reading a few of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's books. I love her! But anyways, on with the show!

            "You really shouldn't do that," Jade said from her seat at the small table behind me. She was referring to the way I was scrubbing one of my mother's pots out of aggravation.

            "And why not?" I didn't bother turning around. I knew perfectly well why I shouldn't be trying to take off all the painted designs on the glass's surface, but I wanted to see just how far she was willing to push my temper.

            "Do you really want to be put on washing duty again?" I could feel her grin mocking me, calling me to do something. I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on the wine glass I was now holding, careful not to break it. It was Nikolas's favorite, and my mom would have a fit if I shattered it.

            "Why are you watching me do dishes again?" I kept my voice cold and flat, wanting her to go away.

            "I want to see what pleasures you so much about the job. I mean, it is the fourth week in a row you've had to have the Punishments. One more time and you are on _temporary binding._" She said the last words slowly, to let them sink in. Temporary binding meant no usage of spells for a month, one of a witch's few fears.

            "Oh, and what number punishment are you on, Jade Fiera?"

            "Two, Ebony Ravena. If you've forgotten, the only things I've done are not go to a training session and drop below my average in one of my classes. Now, lets see what you've done." She paused for a moment, probably to get the order of the events right. I didn't mind her listing my wrong doings, they weren't a big deal to me. In fact, I turned to face her in case she needed correcting. "You've started fights with hunters at two schools on three different occasions," that only counted as two offences, the first fight was always allowed as a pass because it dealt with an enemy, "broken someone's arm at the last school, in front of everyone, and what was it you did to earn this Punishment? Oh yeah, you tried to burn down a local hunters house when your mom and dad were _so_ close to catching her."

            "The three fights we're out of boredom, I broke Joe's arm because he tried to stab me, and I burned down Stephanie's house because she said she knew where we were hiding. She died in the fire, did she not?" I leaned against the counter edge as I dried my hands. "Now, you did have a point in all this, right?" She sighed.

            "I'm just trying to help you. If you have your powers bind, you won't be able to pass next month's field exam." 

"Okay, okay, I'll try not to go and hurt somebody for the remainder of this month." I was grateful that the Punishments could only accumulate during a month's time. Then they started over at zero offences at a new month's start. I walked past Jade and the table, towards the stairs to my room.

"Goodnight, Ebony," she called from her spot in the kitchen.

"Goodnight, Jade," I called back. See the funny thing I want to mention is, when we aren't fighting, we're best friends.

~*~*~*~

I fell asleep at midnight, about half an hour after I had finished dishes. Dreams occasionally came to me because of the half witch blood of the Vida line in my veins, but it was only occasionally because of the other half vampire blood of my father, Christopher Ravena. 

I faintly heard the soft breathing and the dim heartbeat of Jade in the bed next to mine at about 3 in the morning. Her line, the Fiera, lived in the 4-story apartment with my family. They were the only witches in the building that were allowed to stay permanently. So the arrangements ended up with the first floor being the main kitchen and the dining hall, along with laundry rooms and a library where school sessions were held. The second floor rooms were rented out to any vampire, and occasional witch if they belonged to Single Earth, who needed a place to crash for a while. The only thing they had to do to be allowed to stay was keep their conflicts off of our property and not hurt any other member of the building, even if he or she was only temporarily staying. The third floor belonged to the Fiera clan to do as they pleased as long as they kept to the rules of the building. The fourth floor belonged to my clan, the Ravena. Finally, the basement, which no human or witch except Jade's clan knew about, was reserved to bashes only. Uncle Nikolas, my father's twin, watched over the 4 floors for any trouble. Their sister, my aunt Nissa, taught most of the classes. My mother, Sara, was in charge of the kitchen. We had obtained the building from a family friend after my mother was disowned from her line for helping my dad, which was strictly forbidden according to her line's rules. 

~*~*~

At about 7 my alarm sounded, but I didn't have to get up today. It was Saturday, so I was free from lessons and school. I pulled the thick blanket over my head and eased back into sleep, only to be pulled violently out by Jade shaking my arm.

"Sarah is going to kill us Ebony!" She knew I'd get up now.

"Why would mom kill us?" I rolled over groggily, only half listening to her.

"Because today is the feast in honor of my mom's recruiting of her niece's children into the clan."

"Damnit, I forgot!" I jumped out of bed and ran to my closet, digging though mountains of clothes until I found what I wanted. A black silky dress that hugged my curves and V-necked 5 inches deep off the collar. I loved it. Jade was already dressed in an identical deep green dress. 

After a quick applying of makeup, I ran down the two flights of stairs to the main dining hall with Jade at my heels. We stopped at the door and quietly snuck in and took our seats, trying not to giggle in victory. Kiela, Jade's mom and leader of the Fiera clan, was giving the rules of both the clan itself and our building to a group of children who looked about 12 and up. I glanced over at my father, who was in the middle of the long table. He was watching the activities, trying not to yawn. He hated things like this, but being the owner of the building, it was his duty to attend. My uncle had the same look. Nissa, whom was seated next to me, beamed at the children, as she had always loved little kids. I slowly gave a glace at my mother, who was seated between my father and Nikolas, to see her glaring at me. I sighed and turned to watch the rest of the ceremony. I would never hear the end of the arguments afterwards.

Whoo-hoo! Chapter one finished at 1:14 in the morning! I know the chapter seriously sucked. Please don't hurt me, I just typed stuff in the order I thought would make sense since all the ideas were just sorta crammed in my head. Anyone wanting to take the job of helping me make stuff make sense, email me XD


	2. Trouble Arises

**Yay! Chapter two! ^.^ I was so glad I got happy reviews, I expected to be flamed like there was no tomorrow. I love you guys ^.^ . Thanks to Lin, ****Liviania, Aya, Shade of Temair, and XFaheyX!******

"This is the third time you've missed something important Ebony," Sarah Ravena said as she paced in front of me. I sighed.

"I know, and I apologized to Kiela a million times." Okay, maybe not a million, but so much that I was getting on her nerves. 

"Your mother does have a point," my father sighed. Usually he sided with me, so he felt weird when he didn't. "You shouldn't have forgotten something like this. It was important to her." Haha, notice how he didn't say "Me"? Mom did.

"You mean you didn't want to be there Christopher?" Mom glared at him coldly. His eyes widened as he realized he was trapped. He stuttered a little then fell silent. Dad always hated when mom was mad at him. I felt bad, but seeing the sudden opportunity, I slowly headed for the door. Just as I crossed through the doorway, I felt a hand on my shoulder and a familiar voice.

"Where do you think you are going young lady?" Uncle Nikolas smiled his evil little smile. I cursed under my breath, knowing he'd probably send me back into the room. There was a moment of silence, then his voice. 

"Go."

I blinked and looked up. "Really?"

"Yes, but you owe me huge. Don't worry about them," he nodded to the two arguing adults in the next room, "I'll make something up. It'd be a shame for you to miss your exam on such a small crime." I hugged him quickly, thanking him. Uncle Nick could be such a nice guy, no matter what anybody said.

~*~*~

                I stared through the thick darkness of my room, not being able to fall asleep. Tomorrow would be the first day at my new school. I was used to changing schools with at least one person I knew from the building, but no one had gotten in trouble this month, so I'd have to face the monster alone. Luckily this school was designed just for vampires, in a secret location, so I wouldn't have to start any fights. I got along perfectly well with other vampires, it was just hunters that bothered me. Glancing over at the small alarm clock on my bedside table, the bright red letters bolded out 3:49 AM as the time. Sighing, I shifted a little and forced myself into sleep. Sure, I could run fine without a week's sleep (I tried it when I was little), but my energy level was much higher when I did at least attempt to rest. Tomorrow would be a long day, so any way of building my strength now was welcome with open arms.

~*~*~

Annoyingly, my alarm beeped at 6:30. I tiredly got dressed and dragged myself down the two flights of stairs to the kitchen. Dad was pacing back and forth next to the counter like he always did when he and mom were fighting, one of the Fiera was eating cereal, and Jade was skimming through the pages of a local newspaper. She didn't have to start school for another hour, and she happily boasted the fact to me by not changing out of her pajamas. I grabbed my stuff off the table and stopped my dad's pacing to give him a kiss goodbye. Hanging my head low, I walked under the gloomy sky to my bus stop in front of the gates and sat in the back of the bus when it came. I held the same posture on my way down the halls to my locker, which of course gave me problems. I hit it a few times with no luck. Growling, I was ready to just rip the door off, and I was about to do so when someone walked up to me.

"Would you like some help?" A cheery voice said from behind me. I turned around slowly to see a happy looking girl behind me. On any other day she wouldn't have caused any harm, but I wasn't exactly in a good mood. I hastily gave her my locker combo, which magically worked for her. She added friendlily when she started to walk away that she was only a couple lockers down if I needed help again. I rolled my eyes and thanked her, grabbing my books. 

Sliding through the doorway and into my seat in time during my first hour class made me feel a little better, but those feelings were shot immediately when my teacher asked me to stand and tell a little about myself since I was new. I shuffled myself to the front of the room, looking up at everyone's faces. They all looked okay, no threat, so I decided to just give my real name. 

"Hi, I'm Ebony Ravena." I looked up again to see their reactions. They were all looking at me now, which I expected. I mean, from what mom told me, Uncle Nikolas once held the biggest bashes in history. To be invited to his, even now, was a great honor. After a few whispers, I continued. "My mother's name is Sarah, and my father's is Christopher." More whispers. I smiled. I didn't really have any more to say, so I shrugged and sat back down. Their eyes followed me back to my seat. The teacher started with the usual boring lecture about something-or-other, so I tuned out. My interest turned to two of what most called the popular type. They were giggling, glancing at me, saying something, and giggling again. I turned my eyes to the sad excuse for a chalkboard, but kept my ears on them.

"Isn't she the half breed, Mary?" The blonde one said. I clenched my fist. I absolutely hated that term. My skin was pale, I drank blood, and both my parents were vampires. So what the hell made me a half-breed? I'd have a talk with this one after class.

"Mmhmm, I heard her mom escaped trial with the help of one of the higher Vida's." The red head replied. I'd have to ask mom about that. "So, are you going to tell Mr. Hoja about her, Liana? Her witch blood could turn her on us all." I felt their glance on me again. This Hoja guy must have been the principal. So let them tell him, see what I do.

"Naw, we'll just watch her actions for a while." Like hell they would! Oh, they'd be hearing from me and my fist after school. Wait….Damnit, I forgot I'm on strike four. The bell rang about 20 minutes later, and I approached the girls.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation," I said as I pushed them away from listening ears. Both of their eyes went big as they realized that they were cornered. "Now tell me, what exactly makes me a half-breed?" I asked through clenched teeth.

"Your mom was a witch," Mary said quietly so I could barely hear her.

"Oh, so now the fact that my dad turned her doesn't change that, hmm?"

"We're really sorry," Liana squeaked, terrified. I suppose she was afraid of the glint of anger I had in just my eyes. I sighed and stepped aside. 

"Go to your classes. Next time I hear the rumors, I won't be giving you just a warning. Understood?" They both nodded and ran back into the river of people walking down the hall. I joined myself and let the current take me to my next class. 

**YAY! Another lame chapter finished. You can flame me I've decided, since this story sucks :-| Well, see you in the next chapter, thanks to all who reviewed!**


	3. Home, You Gotta Love It

            "How was school?" Sarah asked her daughter as she squeezed a few drops of blood into the drink she was making for her husband. I sighed.

            "Normal." Mom turned around slowly to look at me.

            "What happened this time?" She tapped her foot, expecting the usual 'I punched a kid and got expelled' or 'A girl tried to attack me so broke all of her fingers'.

            "These girls called me a half-breed, so I threatened them." I shrugged. No big deal in my eyes. Mom gave her famous impatient growl, added a few more drops of blood to the glass behind her, and handed it to me. 

"Bring this to your father. He's in the study sparring with your uncle, so watch out for flying books when you open the door. Rapidamente, Ebony, he's waiting. Oh, and give this Nikolas when he starts pouting that he doesn't have anything." She slid a folded up piece of paper to me. I nodded and got up from the table, taking small sips of the drink as I climbed to the second floor. Carefully opening one of the large oak doors, I ducked from a dictionary of Latin phrases and let out a small yell of fake surprise to get their attention. My uncle smiled when he saw the glass and tried to take it, thinking it was his.

"Not so fast." I handed the glass to my dad and smiled. "Mom made it for you." He smiled and told me to thank her.

"What about me?" Uncle Nikolas gave the lip quiver. I laughed and handed him the note. I realized the strong scent of human blood when he opened it. Dad noticed it, too, and looked over Nikolas's shoulder.

"Ah, so Sarah found you another donator. And she even included a blood sample, how sweet." Nikolas patted me on the head and walked out of the room. I raised my eyebrow at my dad, asking him what that was all about. He shook his head. "Nothing. Any homework?"

"Nope."

"Then spar with me, I'm bored." I smiled and got into a fighting pose. Spars with dad were always fun.

~*~*~*~

A month or so went by without any of the rumors I was afraid I'd have to deal with. Of course I was always asked for an invitation to one of the bashes at our house, but until passing the field exam to show I could defend myself at something as hectic as one of Nikolas's parties, I wasn't allowed to give them out. Speaking of which, the field exam was nearing. You wouldn't believe all the training Nikolas put my through! I went to sleep the night before the test, so nervous that I couldn't sleep. Of course I wouldn't have to go to school the next day, but I figured I still needed sleep. Forcing myself to rest, I actually had a dream. I saw a boy, about my age, witch, handsome and tall, walking into a church. I shivered. Churches were my least favorite things. Anyways, he walked through the doors, and the view changed to the front of the chapel, on a young girl looking up at the cross on the wall. She was the same height as me, had the same hair color, same figure…it _was _me. Strange. I woke up as soon as the guy stood behind me and put his hand on my shoulder and I turned my head and smiled at him. Smiled at a vampire hunter. I'd have to talk to Nissa about that. She was an expert at decoding dreams.

**Yay! Chapter 3 finished. And I haven't gotten any flames yet! I love you guys! Thank to all who all reviewed so far, I tried to thank you in some way. (ex: Reading and reviewing one of your stories) Se ya'll next time!**


	4. The Test FINALLY!

                Hi everyone! Ch. 4! ^.^ I thought I would lose all interest by now, but you lovely people (yes, you!) keep me here to my joyous pleasure. Well… I'll stop now, anyone that would like a spot in my chapters, just go on ahead and email me! (P.S: If you were promised a spot,    I'm trying! Don't think I forgot you!)

I stood in the middle of the field, shivering in the October air as I looked at the other people with me. Of course Jade wasn't around, she had passed her exam a few months ago. Don't you hate overachievers? Anyhow, I glanced to the front, the man at head of the group actually fanning himself like it was 100 degrees. He was our guide for the test, one of mom's friends. Heard he was from some place like Antarctica. Oh well. He yelled for all of us to pay attention and pair up with someone. Scanning the group, I picked Jade's cousin. I'm not too sure, but I think his name was Kevin. Yeah, that was it. I picked him because he looked like he was average, couldn't pound me into a pulp, but I couldn't do the same either. The rules were explained again, and naturally I paid no attention. Nikolas had already drilled them into my brain. But for everyone else, here's the basic jist: Instructor calls out a command, you follow. We had been given a number after we pair, 1 or 2. So if the instructor said partner 1 left jab to partner 2, partner 2 block, I would try to punch Kevin, as he would try to defend himself. Sure, I felt like I was in a video game, but hey, it got the job done. The first command was issued.

                "Partner one, punch to partner two's stomach, partner two, block the blow." I grinned, drew my arm back, and made a swift movement for Kevin's waist; he brought his knee up and blocked my punch. I nodded in congratulations to him and smiled, which he did the same. The instructor made a quick check to see if everyone had executed his command correctly, which everyone did.

                "Great. 2 make a right hook to 1's face, 1 defend." Kevin made just a quick movement as I, to which a brought my hand up and caught his wrist. It was reflex for me to twist his arm and shatter his wrist, but I kept my movements in check. Again, the nod and smile, and the examination by the instructor.

                "Alright. 1 and 2, go for a punch to any area and defend at the same time." Both of us moved at the same time for different area, he the area between my neck and right shoulder and I for his chest. Of course both the blows were easily blocked, and we both laughed at the simpleness** (A/N: If that is even a word o.O). **But something was wrong; the air went quiet, then a crack of bone sounded and shattered the moment of stillness. Kevin and I both turned our heads to see Kaitey, a blond hair boy with stunning gray eyes, lifting himself for the ground. Kain, a black-haired green-eyed mystery, was standing over him, sneering. The instructor blew his whistle, but that didn't stop Kait. He let loose a fury of kicks and punches that, by the look on Kain's face, wasn't expected. Apparently the broken nose didn't slow him down. The instructor made a leap into the fight and before you could say Sha-boy-gen **(A/N: Which is extremely fun to say)**, both boys were separated. Kain growled and turned away, stalking off. The instructor's voice pierced the air.

                "It is simply stated in the rules that no counter punch is throw unless instructed! All of you go back to the bus. Kaitey and Kain, I want you both right here to discuss your failing this test! NOW!" He point to the ground in front of him and glared at Kait, who was obviously ignoring him. When both arrived, shouts could be heard from the three. Of course they had to sit in the front with the instructor when they did board the bus, and the ride home was hauntingly quiet except for the occasional chair of fake coughs. I departed the bus when it reached the front of my house, and waved to everyone before walking with him to the door. We agreed he would tell the story and I add details forgotten. Nikolas and dad we naturally angered because I didn't get to "finish my exam properly", but after some defense from my mom, we all agreed that Kevin and I passed. Today was a good day. I had fun explaining it all to Jade, along with about 50 people at school that wanted to know why Kait's nose was shattered. All that was left to do was explain my dream to Nissa, and all would be good and right in my little universe.


	5. An Old Friend and Dream Decodation!

            **Most special thanks to Shade! (This is your chapter, girly; hopefully I didn't completely ruin your character! Email me if I did, because I bet I did -_-') Thanks to all the new reviews, and read the works from my two new favorite authors,**** DemonWitch666 and gothendergirl666! (I wanna spotlight gothendergirl for her correcting me nicely in one of the BIGGEST mistakes in my story, and to DemonWitch for her awesome fic!)**

"Hmmmm…. very curious." Nissa tapped her foot to some secret beat on the tile of her office. I sat across from her in a comfy leather chair as I was trying to figure out the drum solo she seemed to be doing. Where have I heard that before? A music box? Maybe a commercial. I shrugged and focused on her again. "Well, I could send you to Shade….." she trailed off like she usually did. I sighed, annoyed.

            "Aunt Nissa!" She snapped her head in attention.

            "Oh, sorry dear. Yes, Shadow Cat as we called her." She smirked. Taking out a piece of paper, she scrawled an address. "Take this to your uncle and tell him that I told you to take you here. He'll be pleased." She gave the famous Ravena evil smirk. I walked out of her office and thanked her when I reached the stairs. She still had the smirk on.

~*~*~

            "Aunt Nissa said to give you this." I handed the folded paper to Nikolas.

            "What is that sister of mine up to this time?" He unfolded the paper. "It's probably a list of people to invite-" He stopped when he had actually read the words. "Oh my, it's worse than I thought."

            "What is?" I tried to look over his shoulder. Naturally he out-heightened me. I sulked to the chair in front of his desk and waited.

            "Why is she sending you to _her? Did little Ebony have a nightmare?" He cooed at me like I was two, knowing I hated it. I threw him the evil glare both dad and eventually mom threw at him when they were seriously mad at him. He stopped immediately. "Geez, don't go turning into Sarah on me, kid." Still, I held the glare. "FINE, I'll take you." I always won with him._

~*~*~

            We pulled up to a small building after about an hour of driving. Surrounded by sand and tumbleweeds, I had no clue where we were. The sign on the building wasn't going to help me either; it was covered in sand and breaking down with time anyhow. Jade sighed as we got out of the car.

            "Tell me why we're here again Nick?"

            "It's Nikolas, and Nissa sent us."

            "Is anyone even here? I don't see any cars."

            "Knowing Shade, her motorcycle will be in a shed somewhere to protect it from the sand."

            Walking inside, I was amazed to discover we were in a _jewelry shop._

'What the hell is a place like this doing in the middle of the desert?' I thought. Nikolas yelled out.

            "Shaaaade Cimmerian, I know you're here."

            From behind a curtain in the back of the store popped out a head, with a look of surprise.

            "Nik-Nikkolas?" Her eyes widened and she literally jumped 2 feet across the room and embraced Nikolas in a hug. Dark, and I mean dark, red hair that came past her waist flew behind her as she landed. Black and purple covered every part of her body, and she was pale as the moon. Her boots clicked on the tile floor. "Where have you been?!"

            "Long story. I'd love to explain it to you over tea." He smiled.

            She smiled back. "Lovely. So, what brings the likes of you here?"

            He blinked. "Oh yes! Nissa sent us. My niece, Ebony, had a dream that Ditzy thinks you can decode for her."

            "And why didn't she join you? I'd love to see her too.

"Meeting today. Something about a student."

"Oh, so she teaches now?"

"You could say that. I'll drag her to tea with us." Their conversation droned on as I tuned out and looked around. I saw pictures on the walls, cases filled with beautiful jewelry and the bead door in the back. Studying one of the pictures closely, I saw Uncle Nikolas, Shade, Nissa, Dad and a person I didn't recognize. Nikolas had is arm wrapped around Shade's waist and Nissa was held by the mystery man. Nissa and Shade were in the middle of the two men, laughing as they had their free arms around each other's shoulders. Dad was sitting in front and in the middle of the other four, a joyous look on his face as always. The picture looked familiar at the time. I had seen it in Nissa, Nikolas, and dad's studies, in fact. My wandering mind was brought back by Jade's sudden sharp voice.

"Hate to break this little reunion Nikolas, but I'm tired, I'm hungry, it's hot, and I'm sure Eb wants to get a chance to talk to the girl before you two get married." Shade turned a slight shade of pink on top of her pale skin. I glared slightly at her. "What? I'm hungry!"

"Thank you Ebony." I grabbed the keys to the car from Nikolas. "Go sit in the car." Catching them as I tossed them to her, she sulked off, mumbling that she was only trying to help. Usually Jade won when it came to our arguments, _except for when she was hungry or tired. I turned to Nikolas. "She did have a point though."_

"I apologize. We'll finish this later Shade." She smiled.

"Come with me dear." She walked to the back, past the curtain. Walking with her, I realized we were in a room full of equipment for jewelry making.

"Wow," I said softly, glancing around.

"Oh, it's just a hobby. Please, sit." She directed me to a chair in front of a run down desk. Sitting down herself, she grabbed a piece of paper. "Now, tell me your dream, from start to finish." I explained it all, from the church to the boy, while she scrawled on her sheet. "Hmmmm…. very curious," she said, tapping the same beat as Nissa with her nails.

"Excuse me ma'am, but may I ask where that beat you are drumming is from?"

"You recognize it?"

"Aunt Nissa taps it all the time. It's driving me crazy, because I know I've heard it."

"Well, you probably have heard Chris sing it to you as a child." A bell rang. Dad had sung a song with the same rhythm when I was a baby. "You see, when I had first met the amazing Ravena trio, you father had always sung the same song with Nikolas, in some language we never understood. To this day no one except for him and your uncle know the words. It's strange, but I guess it is one of the many ways they stay bonded. Nissa and I both tap it when we are thinking, noticeably." I'd have to ask dad about that. **(A/N: There is really no point to the song, I just threw it in so people who haven't really read Shattered Mirror could see the brothers' bond. ^.^ Ignore it like I do) "But back to that dream…. You said that the boy was a witch, correct?" I nodded. "I'm afraid you, my dear, are probably seeing into future events."**

"But that isn't possible! I would never go into a church, let alone with scum hunters!"

"Ah, but think back to people you know. Maybe he has the same blood as you, so you automatically picked up his witch linage." This made me think. Suddenly, an idea hit me, hard. Kain, the boy who had started the fight during final exams, had a witch for a father. I knew this because I had become bored in History one day, so I decided to sense his aurora and trace his linage. Sinking into the chair, I stared forward for a bit of time. If Shade was right, bad things were going to happen. Very bad things. I thanked her and stood up slowly and walked in a trance to the beaded door. She followed and got into the car with me as I walked outside. She must have been invited back to the house while I was looking at her photos.

**Like? Hate? Need money, food, or makeup like I do? Leave a handy-dandy review! I know, this chapter sucked big time, but I had writer's block and I didn't want to leave you all waiting too long. –Sees everyone closing the window because her writing completely blows- Wait! Don't think I'm gonna keep sucking like this! I'll have better chapters when ideas come to me. I usually daydream in Algebra, and I have that tomorrow, so the wait won't be terrible. Hopefully you'll stay and bear with me! –Bribes you with Grandma's cookies, the most irresistible thing ever- HahHa, see ya'll soon!**


	6. Nikolas Revealed

            **Whee! I'm back! –Huggles Shade- I'm glad you liked it! Roswellachick, I made Nik nice cuz I see him as the kind of person who would change himself once he settled down, although he probably would have been extremely sexy as an evil guy! Liz, can never forget you, with your long oooooooo's. Heehee. Livi, you've been here since chapter one, and I love you for it! VegetazTwin, you've given nothing but compliments that I don't deserve ^. ^ Chaosti, thanks for the Algebra book, I needed it. And last but not least, Mystic Kiwi, your wonderful evil glare got my fatass off the couch to write, so I thank you graciously. Anyways, on to the story! I own nothing that sounds like it is from any of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's books, even if it is a piece of garbage from Nik's garbage can! –looks around suspiciously, runs over and takes the piece of garbage, hugging it like it is a piece of Nik's hair- Shade owns Shade (that's sounds funny, Heehee) and Nik's clone that I made for her!       –Hands Shade Nik's clone-**

**            I was surrounded by darkness. Everywhere I looked, the terrible shadow of the unknown engulfed me. I cried out, but no sound came. I could breathe, but I couldn't see. I swung my arms around wildly, but I couldn't feel anything, not even the air passing over my skin. Great, so I couldn't see, talk, or feel. It was like being in a frigging black and white mime movie. I was about ready to cry when I felt a hand on my shoulder. As soon as the fingertips touched my skin, the room burst into color. I could see everything. I was in a room with flowers and paintings and leather. I turned my head to see Kain again. Damn him! I was ready to ask what the hell was going on when I suddenly saw my own room, Jade standing over me. It must have been a dream. Jade looked very worried though.**

            "What's wrong?" She was hovering over me, so obviously something wasn't right.

            "You were screaming, Eb. You had tears in your eyes. I think everyone in the house has woken up, actually." As if they were all triggered by the word 'up', I heard the clicking of 8 footsteps up the stairs. Sarah, Nikolas, Shade, and Nissa all burst in. But where was uncle Nik?

            "What on Earth is going on in here?!" Mom said as she ran to my bedside, putting her face close to mine as if breathing on me was going to solve all my problems. I sank farther into my pillow.

            "I had a nightmare, I guess. Jade woke me up, so I'm okay."

            "Was it about Kain again?" Shade was leaning against the wall by my doorway, a look of thought across her face. I nodded and wiped sweat off my forehead. "This isn't looking good Ebony."

            "I'll be fine. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"I suppose. But see me tomorrow morning."

~*~*~

"Nikolas!!!" Nissa was pacing down each hall, trying to find her mischievous brother.

"What's wrong Nissa?" Mom poked her head out of her bedroom.

"That idiot is gone again!!" Nissa growled and stomped her foot like a child. "He knew we had a bash to plan, and he just took off apparently."

"Nik hasn't been himself lately." Dad's head popped up next to mom's. "He's beginning to show signs of the 'old behavior' again." The three of them gave a shudder. I watched, confused.

" 'The old behavior'? What do you mean?" Nissa looked at me for a moment, then to my parents, like it one of those things that was their job to explain it to me. She walked away, towards Shade's room. "Well?" I walked into my parent's room, sitting on their bed.

"There are some things…. We never told you about your uncle Nikolas." Mom twisted her foot nervously. "He…wasn't always the person he is now." She looked to my dad. "Should we tell her?"

"Are you sure she is old enough to know the truth, Sarah?" I was getting annoyed.

"Just tell me already!" I tapped my nails on the nightstand. Dad walked over to my mom and turned her around, lifting her shirt so her shoulder blade was exposed. Nikolas's name was carefully carved, branding mom with a dark pink scar. I stared for a long amount of time before speaking.

"But…why?" The scar didn't look like it could have been something the Nikolas I had grown to love could have done to mom.

"We honestly don't know, dear. It's the way he grew up, the way we_ both grew up I guess. It's too long of a chapter in the book of my life. It would be painful too tell. Now go see Shade like she told you to while we contact some people."_

~*~*~

I walked into the room that became Shade's office. Ever since Nikolas brought her to the apartment, everyone has been too in love with her spirit to let her go back home. So she packed all her things and moved in with us on the Ravena floor. Various pictures hung on the walls, some of family, some of friends. The group picture that the building took last week of all its "regulars" hung on the wall behind her desk.

"Come in child. Sit down." She was leaning over a piece of paper, probably an order form for more metal for her shop. See, now that Shade moved, her shop moved. It was now located down the street. She sighed and looked up at me, seeming tired. "Business never ends. Remember that. Now, on to your problems. If you had a dream like this for this long of a time period, it's most likely a seeing into the future. In most cases that would be a good thing, but I don't think it is with you." She set down her pen and rubbed her eyes, leaning back in her leather chair. The bun her silky red hair was in was starting to fall without her noticing.

"What should I do?"

"I would say wait it out to see how long it is actually going to take to be in the 'de ja vue' stage. This could be 5 years into the future for all we know."

"Alright, I'll come to you when it starts."


	7. An Old Foe is Back

            **Hi all! Sorry about the huge delay, it took me a while to get around the huge writers block and my evil Algebra teacher. I hope you enjoy, I don't want to keep you too long. Thank again for returning! PS: Any idea you have can be left in a review or emailed to me, I'd appreciate it greatly!**

Jade sat across the table from me, flipping through the pages of a magazine. Mom stood at the stove, cooking dinner for both our family and The Fiera's. Dad sat in the chair a couple down from Jade, scanning a tattered and torn personal phone book for people that might know Nikolas's whereabouts. Nissa was doing the same next to me. Shade was talking on the phone; well, actually, she was dialing the numbers the Ravena pair handed her scrawled on a piece of small paper and questioning whoever picked up on the other side of the line. I just blended into the scene quietly; doing evil homework for History that consisted of picking a certain spot of the town of New Mayhem and analyzing its activities and population. We were supposed to go to the town on a school trip, but the dumbasses in our school couldn't put it together in time. So I just made up things as I went along, a phrase being thrown in here and there that made the report sound like it actually had researched ideas. Yeah, right. But back to the point, all was here except Nikolas. He had been gone for a week now, and all the building was getting worried. Shade said something harshly in a foreign language then slammed the phone down, making us all jump.

"Stupid baka," she muttered, awaiting the next piece of paper. Nissa sighed heavily and put her head on the table.

"It's no use. I'm out of numbers. What have you got so far Shade?" Her voice dripped with exhaustion or, rather, annoyance.

"The only person I got a 'lead' out of was Nik's friend Lothan, who said that he last saw him at a bash yesterday, but he couldn't remember where it was at." She kicked the wall repeatedly with the heel of her foot, trying to think of what to do next. "I'm out of ideas."

Mom turned around from the stove. "Have you tried everyone in your book love?" Dad nodded, yawning slightly. Jade got up and set the table.

"Did you check his room and study for any notes?" She asked as she put out cups and started filling four of them with a pitcher of blood, not human of course. She filled the rest with milk and sat back down next to me, reading the beginning paragraph of my report.

"Yes, and we found nothing. All his things were still there, like he went out one day and didn't come back."

"Hmmm, that is strange. Any foes you know of?" Her eyes were still on my paper, but she kept talking to Nissa. In fact, she was correcting words and sentences for me, an action in which resulted in a swatting of her hand with my palm. She ignored the assault and kept fixing things.

"Come to think of it…. Nah, it couldn't be. Or could it?" Nissa spaced off, a trademark of hers.

"NISSA!" Dad hit the table to snap her out of her daydream.

"Oh! Sorry about that, you know how I get." She smiled. "Now, do you think it could be _him?" There was a look in her eyes of fear and torment.  _

"For the love of gods, woman, wh-," It seemed to suddenly hit him when he actually looked into Nissa's eyes. "No… It can't be. Not him. No way in hell."

"Who exactly is this him you speak of?" Shade's voice seemed to snap Nissa and dad out of their lost state.

"The one and only Kaleo." Nissa's eyes narrowed as she said the name. Shade raised an eyebrow.

"How'd ya'll associate with the likes of him?" Her tone was acidy, especially the last words of her sentence. Nissa grabbed her glass of blood and beckoned Shade to follow her as she headed up the stair toward her study.

"It can all be explained," she sighed as Shade got up and joined her. I looked at mom with a questioning gaze, but she just shook her head to tell me it wasn't a chapter of the Ravena past that I should be looking into.

~*~*~

Everyone was back to their battle stations after dinner, for Nissa had found a whole box of mini phone books while she was searching Nikolas's study again. Dad browsed though each one for only a single purpose: Find some sort of contact to Kaleo. I just kind of stood there, not sure what to do. Shade stood at the phone again, Mom on one of the other lines to make the process faster. Jade was already in bed, claiming she had finals tomorrow and needed sleep badly. After about an hour of watching the Ravena clan scramble about in unorganized chaos, I too went to bed. No particular reason, really, except boredom.

~*~*~

That night I had one of those weird dreams. I was in a really long red dress, it fitting my form a hell of a lot better than it would in real life. Looking down, I realized I was standing on a black marble floor. In fact, there didn't really seem to be any color in the room as I looked around. Except for my red dress and red roses. A ton of red roses. As I took the room in, I realized Kain was standing in the doorway a few feet away. He smiled at me, and I smiled right back. His hand reached out and gently touched my shoulder. My skin crawled with the feel of his skin of my, but felt warm at the same time. I was generally confused. He softly pulled me over to him and dipped me down so my hair just barely swept the floor. His lips lightly touched my neck, and I felt the piercing of fangs…. wait a minute….. I was already a vampire. What the hell? I woke up just when he was about to drop me down, hard, on the floor. Sweat beaded my skin a bit, and I felt cold. I guess I would just have to go to Shade tomorrow morning. Maybe I would get out of school…


	8. A New Friend and A Dangerous Kidnapping

            *Author Comments: _I'm SOOO sorry for keeping you all waiting. Thanks for the extremely positive reviews, there's way too many people I want to thank, if you left a nice review, you're one of those people ^_^ Well, onwards with the story!_*

~*~

            *Special Note*: _After reading this chapter a few times before posting it, I realized that the fact that Ebony and Orien are aging may get a tad confusing. So here's what I've come up with: Half vamps can age until they are fully turned, and after that they will stay the same forever._

~*~

"So he bit you?"

            I nodded. It was the next morning, and mom had called school saying I had a doctor's appointment, which the office lady became confused at because vampires didn't get sick. It was actually quite amusing. But back to the point. "I woke up a little bit after that."

            "This is getting strange, hun. Really strange. At first it might have been seeing into the future, but if he bit you….Wait a second…." She reached down into an open drawer and pulled out a thick, leather-bound book, flipping through its old and thin pages. "Aha." She read to herself, mumbling each word under her breath. "That could be it…."  
            "What could be it?!! I swear Aunt Nissa is rubbing off on you." She laughed at my comment.

            "Well, usually if someone in a dream takes action that seems impossible and violent, it usually symbolizes that they will take violent action that is possible. I say you stay away from this guy, he seems like trouble."

            "Yes ma'am." Just then Mom called us down for lunch. "C'mon, let's go eat."

~*~*~

            "You got to stay home just for that?" Jade sounded aggravated, but I knew she wasn't. She was just mad that I couldn't be part of her new project, which bloomed when she first thought I was sick. It was going to be something like Vampires and Illness. Hmmm, too bad.

            "Yup. But I'm worried. What if Shade is right?"

            "Oh come on, I don't think your psychic. No offence." I rolled my eyes.

            "Well, I'm going to school tomorrow. Maybe something strange will happen to clue me in."

~*~*~

            "Welcome back Ms. Ravena. We were afraid something happened to you." Mr. Shenide smirked at me. I had to stop myself from flipping him off as I sat in my seat. Mr. Shenide teaches our History class, which wouldn't be terrible if he wasn't such a prick. I sneered at him as he turned to write something at the board, which he caught unfortunately. "You know, if you could survive just one day without any interruption…."

            "I'll start once you can survive one day without being such an ass-" Just then the classroom door creaked open, and in stepped a boy I hadn't seen around the halls before.

            "Ah, our new student," Shenide announced to the class. "Come in lad. Do you have a name?" The mystery man handed him a paper.

            "My name is Orien."

            "Well Orien, your desk is right next to the little demon over there." He pointed at me. "If you cause trouble with him in anyway Ebony, you won't see 4 o'clock out of school for at least a month." I gave him a rather evil glare and looked to Orien as he sat down.

            "The guy's a real asshole, don't bother him or he'll treat you like he treats me," I whispered, smiling.

            He smiled back. "Thanks for the tip."

            "No problem." For some reason, I felt like I could immediately trust this new guy, and I had only know him for five seconds. "Hey, why don't you sit with me at lunch today? I can show you around this hell hole and introduce you to key people in your survival at this school."

            "No problem, that'd be great. Where is it?"

            "Courtyard, under the huge willow tree in the farthest right hand corner from the door. You can't miss us."

            "Mmkay, see you at lunch then."

~*~*~

            I sank into my seat next to Winah and Caz at our well shaded table. "You're gonna have to scoot today Caz, I have the new student of our school sitting here, to introduce him to you all and that kind of fun stuff." Jul nodded across from me, responding in the dark voice we all loved.

            "No problem here."

            "It's fine with me if it's fine with him," Maria said, smiling and sliding down with Jul as he moved. The two had been dating since before I first came to the school, and they made the perfect couple.

            "Is he that boy with the dark brown hair and really dark blue eyes?" Winah looked at me as she asked to see if she knew who would be joining us today. I nodded, and as soon as I did Orien himself sat next to me, looking at the people of our table.

            "Everyone, this is Orien. Orien, this is Kaz, Maria, Jul, and Winah." I pointed clockwise to all of them, and they waved as their name was said.

            "Nice to meet all of you," he said happily. "It's a real plus to be able to sit somewhere on the first day here and already feel comfortable."

            "Goddess knows I didn't get to have that," I said, laughing. "My first day here, these losers left me to eat at that deserted table over there, in the snow, all alone." I made a dramatic sniffle.

            "Oh get over yourself, Ebony Ravena. First off, there was no snow when you arrived, and second we didn't leave you, you sat over there because you almost put a dent in Shenide's skull with your fist because he was bothering you. HE made you sit over there to show you that you'd be "isolated from everyone if you kept up your attitude"."

            "That guy really **is** an asshole, isn't he?" Orien questioned. We all laughed.

            "You'll realize in time. So, where are you from Orien?" I grabbed a water bottle full of blood out of my lunch bag and twisted the cap off, offering some to him before I took a sip. He accepted, drank a bit, and handed it back to me.

            "I grew up in New Mayhem, but my parents decided that it wasn't the life for them and moved, taking me along."

            "Grew up there?" Jul questioned from across the table, obviously puzzled on how a vampire could grow up.

            "Yeah, only my dad is full vampire."

            "Whoa, that's weird. It's been 5 minutes and already you two have something in common, Eb." They all laughed. I threw my now empty bottle at Jul, which he caught easily and smiled at me. Orien wasn't laughing at first though, and we all looked at him when we realized it.

            "What's wrong?" Julia asked, the concern in her eyes that everyone knew her for.

            "Ravena," Orien whispered. "I knew I recognized the name. Your father…. Is he Nicko-"

            "No no, mine is Kristopher. Nikolas is my uncle."

            "Aha. So trouble is in your blood."

            "Most definitely. One normal hour in my house would be a blessing." I went on to explain everyone in my house, and I went furthermore with why Shade was with us. I didn't mention anything about Nikolas's disappearance, under the strict orders of my dad.

_            "We want to keep this quiet," _I remembered him saying,_ "if any of our enemies find out one of the main sources of protection is gone...not that me and your mother couldn't handle it_," he added as my mother gave him an evil glance, _"but you get my point."_

            "Sounds like torture, but they also sound fun. Maybe I can stop by sometime?"

            "Oh, you should already know where it is," Jul said from across the table. Every vampire, full or not, knew where my house was. It was one of the most famous hideouts and bash areas of all time.

            Orien thought for a moment. "I'm going to have to see it. I was never good with memory."

            "Suit yourself, but you'll know it when you get there."

~*~

            I had told Dad about Orien's arrival, which he was thrilled about. I never really had any friends, except for Jaden. She, in fact, was happy too, saying that it'd be nice to meet someone new. My car pulled up to the gate before our long driveway, and as I turned to say something to Orien, the look on his face shocked me.

            "What's wrong?"

            "You…. live here?"

            "Yeah….," I said slowly. He wouldn't be here if I didn't.

            He spoke in only sentence chunks, like he was trying to remember how to speak. "My parents….after we left New Mayhem….they brought me here….we lived here for a while…"

            "Really?" It was a rare occasion for our house to see its guests again, except for the "regulars". "Hey, maybe I can find your name in our registry books!" Our house had kept a record ever since the house was built of the people who stayed with us. I never really thought it had a purpose except to kill trees, but finding a use for them now was surprising. We walked inside the house, greeted by the smell of mom's cooking. "Mom, we're here!" She poked her head out of the kitchen.

            "Hey guys. Welcome to our house, Orien."

            "The famous Sarah Ravena, I presume," Orien said, in awe.

            "Depends on who wants to know," she said with a wink. Her hair shone in the sunlight from our sky roofs, making her all the more beautiful. "Come in, come in, I'll make you guys a snack." We followed her to the table. I knew it was the perfect opportunity to ask her about our quest.

            "Hey mom, where do you keep the books?"

            She set down the bottle of blood she had in her hands and turned around. "Why?" She looked suspicious.

            "Orien thinks his parents stayed at our house for some time."

            "Oh. What's his last name?"

            "Kataz," Orien answered, looking between the bottle Mom was holding and Mom herself. Realizing she had stopped what she was doing, Mom continued to pour us drinks, although her mood obviously changing.

            "I remember that name," she said, handing us the drink and sitting down at the table with one for herself. She still look a little bothered. "Your mother, if I'm thinking of the right people, was really nice. Pretty, too, with dark blue hair and the same color eyes?"

            Orien nodded. "Thank you for the compliment, but I'm afraid she is gone." He paused for a minute, and I had no clue what to say. No one in my line had ever died while I was alive, but I was sure the pain was unbearable at times. "No need to look sad for me. She was murdered when I was about 5. After we left here, in fact. I was thinking if maybe I looked for the residents of the time, I could narrow down my search."

            "The room next to Nick's study," Mom said, the weight of some unknown force making her voice small. We finished our snack, placed the wine glasses in the sink, and headed upstairs.

            "_I remember that murder." I heard my mother's voice in my head. "_It was…..oh, I'll tell you about it  later, after he leaves_."_

~*~

            After countless hours of searching, nothing came up. Orien took up the offer of being driven home, and left disappointedly.

            "So, what happened Mom?"

             She sighed deeply and took a deep breath, ready to tell her story. "His mother's name was Sarah, like me. She was a wonderful woman, full of energy, and heart. Many told us that we had the same personality. The only difference between us was our appearance. Like I said, she had dark blue hair that almost looked black, compared to my blond hair, and blue eyes. We became really good friends, and you and Orien played together all the time." My mind suddenly flashbacked to seeing pictures of a younger me and a little boy joyfully sleeping next to each other on the floor of my dad's study, or playing in the backyard. "I think….that was the reason for her downfall, though." 

She stopped and gazed ahead, like going on was going to drain her of everything she had. "You see, your father and that brother of his didn't always have the best reputations. To be associated with them was to be associated with the Devil's favorites. All evil loved them. Kaleo was one of those evils. He **hated me. I guess the fact that I used to kill vampires probably weighed most of his spite, but he also blamed me for turning your father completely around and against killing. Nikolas isn't completely rid of his bad habits, but he's getting there, so I guess I was blamed for that, too. **

"But back to my point. The other Sarah was mistaken for me by some of Kaleo's assassins shortly after she left our home, and was killed upon sight. I got word of the news immediately, of course." Again she was silent. 

This lasted for a little while longer, and probably would have kept going if Jaden's ear piercing shriek hadn't cut through the air. I jumped up immediately and literally flew up the two flights of stairs to her study, just in time to see a dark figure in the large windows, ready to flee. Jaden was in its arms, her struggles becoming less and less fierce by the second as the thing kept a cloth over her mouth.

            "What the hell do you think you are doing?!?!" I screamed as I lunged at the creature, but was easily dodged from. That's when I caught a glimpse of the face. My knees went weak, and I almost collapsed from shock. "….Kain?"

            His voice filled the room, darkly and hauntingly. "I have come from your most prized possession, half breed. If you want it back, you'll have to come and get it." He tossed a folded up piece of paper at me before jumping out of the window.

            "WAIT!" I yelled after him. It didn't work, and spreading black wings, he flew into the dark of the night. "What's this all about?" I asked myself as I sank to the floor, tears now slowly working their way down my face. My best friend had just been taken away from me, and I had no clue why. I saw my mother in the doorway of the room through my blurred vision, and, if it was possible, she was about two shades lighter. "What's the matter?"

            "It…. It…. It was Kaleo." She sounded horrified, like Jaden didn't have a chance in the world.

            "That was Kain, Mom, a boy from my school."

            "Oh no, I definitely saw Kaleo in those eyes…. Unless…. oh my goddess…I think Kaleo…. has a….. son. It's starting again." My father had just run behind her as she said this, just in time to catch her as she fainted.

            "What happened?!"

            I followed him as he carried Mom to their bed, then lead him downstairs, ready to explain what had just happened and read the note I had just received.

*_Sorry about the terribly long wait everyone. I know you've been anxious. If the story seems to jump around to much, I am sorry again. I wanted to get this moving, because I have plans for it. Now that I know where this story is going, I should have it finished before the end of Spring Break (April 28th). Keep a lookout, and thanks for your patience! Oh, and PS, I'll have a new story on Fiction Press soon if anyone is interested.*___


	9. Enter Kaleo

            "I'm going after him."

            "What?!" I was on the phone with Orien, telling him about the whole Jaden thing.

            "He murdered my mother, I'm going after him."

            "But how did you-"

            "My father told me everything."

            "Oh Orien, I'm sorry."

            "No need to apologize, but I'd appreciate it if you came with me tonight."

            "Of course." For Goddess sakes, he had Jaden. Of course I would go. "I'll meet you down the street tonight."

~*~

            "I forbid you to go there!" My dad slammed his palm on the table, causing the kitchen to shake.

            "But Dad, Jaden is in danger! I can't just ignore my best friend! Besides, Orien needs my help!"

            "You **don't know who you're dealing with! Kaleo is **very **dangerous!"**

            "I don't care! Have him kill me, then. I just want Jaden to be safe, Dad." Tears weld up in my eyes again as I realized I was losing this argument. Dad had always agreed to everything I did, so I didn't know what to do now that he didn't.

            He looked away from me and folded his arms. "**I said no, and that's that.**" 

I pushed myself violently out of my chair and stomped up the stairs to my room, slamming the door behind me. I sat stubbornly on my bed. I **would **meet Orien at 10:30 like I said, whether Dad liked it or not.

~*~

            I awoke at about 10 o'clock instinctively, and sitting on my bed, I set my feet on the cool ground below me. Walking to my door and peering into the hallway, I met darkness. The perfect time to sneak out. Grabbing a few knives and the piece of paper I was given earlier, I snuck downstairs and to the backdoor, quietly making my way outside. I unfolded my note, which I hadn't read yet, and saw the words:

_Come to the third house of Third Street in New Mayhem. _

_I'll be waiting with her and him. _

_If you do not show up within two days, they'll both die._

_Have fun._

_-Kain_

            I quietly took my bike out of the shed it was in, careful not to hit Shade's motorcycle. I pedaled to the location I agreed to meet Orien at, and when he arrived, we both rode silently to New Mayhem.

~*~

            We arrived on Third Street at about 11:30. I counted the houses, and stopped at the third. Great. I was at a friggin' church. I walked inside, and major day ja vu hit me. Orien followed, and looked at me with concern as I was drawn into a daze of rememberence. Everything inside was black and white; accept for roses and our clothes. I walked farther inside, and to a back room behind the alter. Inside, I saw Jaden tied to a chair, in a red dress, and another man in a red suit.

            "Uncle Nikolas?"

            His head lifted at the mention of his name. The gag in his mouth made him unable to speak, but he could make sounds. But his eyes weren't the same. They seemed lifeless, cold. He set them to something behind me, and I felt someone's arms wrap around me. I turned my head, expecting to see Kain. But instead, I saw what looked to be an older duplicate. He was taller, and his features were set darker. This must me Kaleo. Orien saw him and went to tear him off of me, but Kaleo easily threw him into a nearby chair with just a glance. Orien tried to get up, but was weighed down by an invisible force.

            "Welcome half-breed," Kaleo's voice said seductively. He carefully dragged me back a few feet into the shadows and set me on a chair. I struggled to get free for a few seconds, before I went numb. I panicked, and tried to scream, but couldn't even hear my voice. "Don't worry; I've just temporarily paralyzed you. You'll be fine after you die." Damnit, he had a hold on my mind, and now that he mentioned it, I could feel it. If I had only kept my guard up, I could have resisted him. But wait… Did he just say I was going to die?

            "W-what?"

            "I'm going to have Nikolas kill all three of you. Once he does, I will have complete control over his free will, and he won't be able to do a thing about it!!" He laughed manically, and I cringed in fear. Kaleo snapped his fingers, and Nikolas's eyes came to life. They seemed paniced as his body moved against his own struggles. By this time Jaden was slightly awake and realized what was going on. She couldn't see me, of course, because I was hidden in shadow, but she saw Nikolas advance towards her. She wiggled free of her bonds and started to run towards Orien…but was immediately stopped when she ran into something. I saw her look up as I did and saw Kain, a wicked smile on his face. I could tell Kaleo wasn't expecting any of this, but he still watched in amusement.

            Jaden raised her right palm and tried to mutter a spell to throw at him, fear making her stutter. But Kain, being a "half breed" like me, also could do magic and said something faster, and before I could blink, Jaden was hit with a red blur of energy. It threw her back quite some feet and caused her to hit a wall with tremendous speed. I could literally hear almost every single bone in her body snap as she hit the brick and slid to the ground with a sickening thud. I screamed, finding my voice, and broke the bind Kaleo had on me, shattering it in my mind like shattering glass. I ran over to Jaden and kneeled besides her, afraid to touch her in fear she would be hurt. She opened her eyes heavily and looked up to me.

            "Hi…Ebony…" Her voice was slow, and it seemed like it took great effort for her just to open her mouth. "Did you see…me? I… almost had…him." She smiled, and then winced in pain regretfully.

            "You don't have to talk," I said, almost chocked by the grief. Again tears streamed down my face, some hitting Jaden's tanned skin and staining it red.

            "But I…" she paused, breathed in shakily, then started again, "…have something…to tell you." 

            I pressed my finger softly to her lips, knowing that talking pained her greatly.

            "I…don't want to…die," she whispered, tears now flowing down her face.

            "Don't worry, you won't," I comforted her. "We'll get help soon."

            "I hope so…Well, goodnight Ebony," she said with a slight smile, closing her eyes.

            "NO! Stay awake Jaden!" But it was too late. She was gone. I now openly sobbed and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Jaden."

            I heard Kaleo laugh again. "That was great," he chuckled. "Too bad I didn't have a camera."

            I noticed now that he, too, was dressed in all red, along with his son. But wait a minute… how could Kain be his son? His aura gave off that his father was a witch.

            "I know what your thinking, half breed. I had an affair with Kain's mother, who was also a witch, but your puny senses probably didn't see that. That nitwit of a husband of hers didn't notice a thing. Quite humorous, actually. I killed both of them after he was born, since I needed a son to take my place." He laughed once again, and his son joined this time, showing no feeling of sadness or hate towards his father for killing his mother. I was getting quite sick of the laugh by this time, and impulsively pulled one of the daggers out, throwing it at Kain. Either he didn't notice or he didn't care, but it hit him right above his heart. He stopped, wide eyed, and made a few chocking sounds before falling to the ground. Kaleo roared at me and lunged, tackling me and pinning me on the ground.

            "I'll finish you myself, girl." He pressed his lips to my neck. I tried to kick him off, but he just held my legs down by sitting on them. I screamed, but it didn't help. Just as I felt his teeth pierce my flesh, he was thrown off of me. Uncle Nikolas had apparently snapped out of his spell and realized what was going on. He was wrestling Kaleo to the ground. Orien ran up, appearently free of his bonds too, drew a dagger from his shoe.

            "This is our battle, she had nothing to do with it," Nikolas said through clenched teeth. I couldn't tell if he was referring to me or Jaden, but Kaleo obviously thought the latter.

            "This won't bring that stupid witch back," Kaleo hissed as Nikolas drew also dagger and was about to stab him. Orien pressed his knife to Kaleo's throat. I was still lying on the ground. I think I was bleeding, but I don't remember. "That stupid niece of yours is going to die too," Kaleo voice said, but it was fading. Everything was becoming quieter and turning dark. Uncle Nikolas was suddenly above me, yelling at me not to go, to come back to him. Orien was still on Kaleo, knife ready. I fought my way through the darkness, like swimming from the bottom of a lake towards the surface, and everything came into focus again, and I could breathe. Dad was now standing next to his brother, holding a cloth to my neck. Mom was there, too, but by Jaden, her hands on the girl as she muttered something. Blue light surrounded both of them, and Jaden started coughing. I smiled and closed my eyes, telling my dad I would be right back.

            I awoke, and found myself in my dad's study. I tried to sit up, but the pain in my head, weighed me back down as I cursed. Jaden was on the couch across from me, her chest rising and falling softly as she slept. Dad walked into the room with Uncle Nikolas and Orien, shutting the door behind him.

            "You almost died yesterday, kid." Nikolas smiled, and helped me sit up. Orien was seated next to me.

            "What was that all about?" I held my head and looked at him.

            "Kaleo was trying to get me to join forces with him, so that's why he took me away when I was at a bash. When I refused, he became angry and binded me. That bastard got a lot stronger," he muttered.

            "Where is he?" I was afraid he'd try to come back.

            "He had pushed Orien off of him, when Orien realized you were hurt and put his attention towards you. That snapped both of their binds, in fact," he said, referring to Uncle Nikolas and Orien, "seeing you about to be killed by that asshole. He escaped our grasp, but I sent Nissa after him. We'll hear about it when she gets back," Dad said, then paused. "Nice throw, by the way. The kid almost died instantly."

            I had forgotten about Kain, and looked away, ashamed in myself for killing him. Nissa burst into the room, a huge smile on her face.

            "I got him!" She twirled and laughed happily.

            "It's over then," the twins said at the same time. They, too, smiled. Maybe I would ask them about it when I was older. Just then Jaden awoke with a moan, lifting her hands to her head,.

"Owwwwwwwwwww. What the hell happened?" She looked around and tried to sit up. Mom suddenly appeared and tried to put Jaden back down, saying something about how she wasn't fully healed. I laughed.

"You'll remember soon enough." 

I thought about how I was going to thank Orien as he held my hand. I leaned against him and let him hold me. I knew that from now on everything was going to be okay.


End file.
